Pathology Report!

If anyone was wondering - the reports were fine on the tumor that was removed! Thanks for your prayers, The Doctor also removed a burn scar that I had since I was an infant. My shoulder feels like I am wearing a shirt that is about 3 sizes to small, but I am told that it will stretch out and feel normal in a few weeks.

A very moving poem

This is a very moving poem from the Writer's Almanac radio show:

Poem: "A Boy in a Bed in the Dark" by Brad Sachs, from In the Desperate Kingdom of Love: Poems 2001-2004. © Chestnut Hills Press, 2004.

A Boy in a Bed in the Dark

Born with a cleft palate,
My two-year-old brother,
Recovering from yet another surgery,
Toddled into our bedroom
Toppled a tower of blocks
That I had patiently built
And in a five-year-old's fury
I grabbed a fallen block
And winged it at him
Ripping open his carefully reconstructed lip.
The next hours were gruesomely compressed
Ending with a boy in a bed in the dark
Mute with fear
Staring out into the hallway with horror
As the pediatrician went in and out of the bathroom
With one vast blood-soaked towel after another
Shaking his head worriedly.
My brother's howls
And my parents' cooed comfort
Became the soundtrack to this milky movie
That plays
In my darkest theatre,
The one that I sidle past each night
With a shudder
And a throb in my fist

Surgery

Just a quick update for those who might be wondering... The surgery went well. They removed a fatty tumor that weighed about 2 LBS! and cyst the size of a large walnut. I ache a bit and pain pills are helping. My folks are here helping me out. I get a pathology report in the next day or so, but I am not expecting any bad news. Thanks for all the prayers! They are being answered.

Poem in progress

I've got a problem
I wish I could dismiss it.
Life would be simpler if there was no meaning
But when I look around me there is no denying God.


I just posted some old pictures of myself at www.revnorman.com - you might find them amusing...

Getting ready for a show

Christmas

We had a great Christmas. More pictures will follow.

Being Grandpa

I've been spending a lot of time with Jedi lately, teaching him the ways of the force... Here are some of the latest pictures

UP Ice Caves

I found this picture while I was sorting through some old papers. It is from an outing our church in upper MI took out to the ice caves on day after worship in the 1980's.

Grandpa's Birthday

I celebrated my birthday a day early this year with Melia, Micah, Lily, Jedi and Peter. We had a great dinner at the Hickory Pit and then went for a walk in to see Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose. The displays were corny as usual - but we had a good time being together. Tomorrow Micah and I will be going out to see the new Mel Gibson movie. Many cards have come in from friends, family and folks from church.

More Birthday photos

Here are some more pictures - I got a great shot of everyone watching the birthday girl.

Lily's Birthday

Lily turned 2 on Nov. 25! In the first picture she is holding up two fingers and telling us that she is two years old. She was very aware that the party was for her. She just glowed when we sang, "Happy Birthday to Lily". Opening presents was a great new adventure for Lily - she tried to very carefully and daintily unwrap each gift as we cheered her on and tried to encourage her just to rip off the wrappings. I was so happy that we could have the party with my parents, Jeff and Veronica and Veronica's mom. Lily says she really likes, "sesents" read presents. I got her a tricycle and she got lots of clothes and a big pink ball - Everything, including the cake, was very Elmo...

Back home

I had an awesome time on my travels and I think I am finally starting to sense some healing in my life. I had a very restful healing time both in Missouri and Florida and spent a day in Georgia. I had a lot of time to read, reflect and pray. I am grieving still and I'm sure that will be part of my life for a long time, but I am feeling more confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am beginning to believe that I can be at peace and enjoy life again. Holidays are still pretty tough. I had a wonderful time with just my sons. We went for a bike ride and had a great dinner.

More Florida

great day fly fishing!

Florida

Dave and Debbie have been so kind and gracious to open their home and let me have space to read and pray. They live in a pretty little town and are right across the street from their church. This is a picture of their backyard. The picture does not do it justice - but will give a sense of the serenity and beauty that surround me. I am feeling very rested. I have a sense of healing and peace that I haven't experienced in a long time.

Great visit with Rich

I had a really great visit with Rich. Here he is out front of the church. Rich is doing a wonderful job as pastor. It was a joy to be with him, see the church and meet some folks from his flock.

Fish Stories in Assville Missouri

I'm in Missouri visiting Rich Williams. We went fishing today or I should say I went fishing while Rich sat on a log and read a book. We drove about 50 miles to a recommended fishing hole only to find out that it was closed to fishing until next week!
We found another spot where I caught 4 very small fish. On the way back we saw this sign that we just had to photograph. We just couldn't believe that there was a town called, "Assville". I had to stop and take a picture. While taking the picture I realized that the sign originally said, "Cassville", but someone crossed out the C.


Later we got back to Neosho and Rich suggested that I try fishing in a little creek near his house. Third cast I caught this wonderful 10 - 12" rainbow trout - I had to throw it because they have to be 15" to keep, but it was a great finish to a fun day. Sometimes the best things are found in your own backyard...

Las Vegas Nights

Of all places to have a church conference! Las Vegas! We had a great time and learned a lot - we learned that you should not hold Church conferences in LV....

A few more Lily pictures -

Lily and Natalie -

Does this remind you of Lily?

When I was at the Transforming Church conference in LV, an artist was painting pictures while the speakers were talking - this one reminded me of Lily -

Challenging and disturbing poem

Here is challenging and disturbing poem I heard on The Writer's Almanac. I don't know the author - but I can't shake this poem. Check out http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org and get the pod cast!

Thoughts?


Poem: "Hard Rain" by Tony Hoagland from Hard Rain: A Chapbook.

Hard Rain

After I heard It's a Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
played softly by an accordion quartet
through the ceiling speakers at the Springdale Shopping Mall,
I understood there's nothing
we can't pluck the stinger from,

nothing we can't turn into a soft drink flavor or a t-shirt.
Even serenity can become something horrible
if you make a commercial about it
using smiling, white-haired people

quoting Thoreau to sell retirement homes
in the Everglades, where the swamp has been
drained and bulldozed into a nineteen-hole golf course
with electrified alligator barriers.

You can't keep beating yourself up, Billy
I heard the therapist say on television
to the teenage murderer,
About all those people you killed—
You just have to be the best person you can be,

one day at a time—

and everybody in the audience claps and weeps a little,
because the level of deep feeling has been touched,
and they want to believe that
the power of Forgiveness is greater
than the power of Consequence, or History.

Dear Abby:
My father is a businessman who travels.
Each time he returns from one of his trips,
his shoes and trousers
are covered with blood-
but he never forgets to bring me a nice present;
Should I say something?
Signed, America.

I used to think I was not part of this,
that I could mind my own business and get along,

but that was just another song
that had been taught to me since birth—

whose words I was humming under my breath,
as I was walking through the Springdale Mall.